Cornell University

Cornell University is a private, coeducational research university located in Ithaca, New York. Cornell is one of the eight Ivy League institutions–which are considered by many in academia and industry as some of the most prestigious, higher education institutions in the United States. The university was established by Andrew Dickson White (an historian and educator) and Ezra Cornell (a wealthy, American businessman) in 1865. The institution was originally founded as a comprehensive university that would provide education in all fields of study–an unconventional education model for the time.

Cornell offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through 7 undergraduate, academic colleges and 7 graduate studies divisions. In addition to its main campus in Ithaca, Cornell has branch campuses (medical learning centers) in New York City, New York and Education City, Qatar. Even though Cornell is a privately owned and operated institution, three of its undergraduate colleges are “statutory colleges” that receive a substantial amount of public financial support from the state legislature. The university is one of only two land grant universities in the state, and as such provides outreach programs in just about every county statewide.

Today, Cornell has nearly 250,000 alumni working and living throughout the world. Among its graduates are Rhodes Scholars (28), Nobel Laureates (41), Marshall Scholars (31) and many other accomplished businessmen, lawyers, politicians and community leaders. Total annual enrollment at Cornell is roughly 21,000 students (14,000 undergrad and 7,000 graduate) which come from across the United States and over 120 foreign countries.

Cornell University is recognized as one of only two universities in the United States (the other being Oregon State University) that are Sea Grant, Land Grant, Sun Grant and Space Grant higher education institutions.

Academics

While Cornell has nearly 7,000 graduate students, it has an undergraduate class nearly twice that size, and is still considered primarily an undergraduate school. Cornell is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has been since early 1921. Cornell operates on a 3-semester year, with the first and last semesters being 4 months in duration and the middle semester lasting only 3 weeks. Fall semester begins in late August and ends in December. Spring semester starts in January and ends in May. The 3 week winter semester is held during the month of January.

Cornell is known for its long and distinguished academic history. It is a university of many firsts. It was the first university to grant journalism and veterinary medicine degrees. It was the first university to award doctoral degrees in electrical and industrial engineering. It was one of the pioneers in hotel administration, labor relations, Far Eastern languages, American studies and industrial education.

Rankings

As recent as 2012, Cornell acheived the rank of No.14 in QS World University Rankings, a highly respected annual university rankings published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The same year it achieved No.16 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, another highly respected annual world university rankings report published by the Times Higher Education (THE) (a British magazine). In the 2012 U.S. News & World Report National University rankings, Cornell is listed among the top ten universities in the nation. Cornell was named the “Hottest Ivy” in Newsweek‘s list of the top 25 Hot Schools in America. In 2011, the university was No.14 in a list of 300 “Best World Universities” put together by the Human Resources and Labor Review. It was listed as No.51 on a rankings report produced by Forbes magazine based solely on student criteria. According to just about every major publication that produces reputable, college rankings, Cornell is consistently recognized as one of the top universities in the world.

Many of its individual academic programs are also highly ranked. In 2013, Cornell’s Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree achieved the rank of No.1 undergraduate architecture program in the nation according to Architecture Daily (archdaily.com), Architectural Record and the journal DesignIntelligence. In fact, between 2000 and 2013 Cornell’s undergraduate architecture program has consistently ranked among the top three programs in the nation. Cornell’s Master of Landscape Architecture program ranked No.4 in the nation in both 2011 and 2012. The Sloan Program in Health Administration at Cornell University is also one of the university’s highest ranked programs; in 2011 it was ranked No.14 in the nation.

In 2012, Cornell’s undergraduate AACSB-accredited business school (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management) achieved the rank of No.3 in Businessweek‘s list of top business schools in the United States. The same year it was ranked No. 10 by U.S. News & World Report. Cornell’s graduate business school, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, has been ranked among the top 10 MBA programs in the nation several times over the last decade by publications including Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Businessweek and U.S. News & World Report. Other top ranked departments at Cornell include the Weill Cornell Medical School, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Cornell Law School. Cornell’s law school has one of the top graduate placement rates in the nation. In 2005, it placed law students in the top 50 law firms in the United States, the 6th highest placement rate of any law school nationwide.

In 2008, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Cornell’s graduate engineering program No.9 among all graduate engineering programs in the nation. Cornell’s undergraduate engineering program is also well-known for producing a large number of graduates that go on to earn Ph.D.’s in engineering or natural sciences, and has been ranked among the top undergraduate engineering programs in the United States. Even though Cornell is recognized as primarily an undergraduate university it ranks No.6 in the nation for the number of graduate programs that have ranked in the top ten nationally in their respective fields. Overall, Cornell’s doctoral programs ranked No.11 and its undergraduate programs ranked No.12 in the nation in 2012, according to the “Inside the Ivory Tower” survey produced by Foreign Policy magazine.

Admissions

Out of the nearly 38,000 applications that Cornell received in 2012, it only accepted 6,100 students, an acceptance rate of just over 16%. Two years prior, Cornell’s acceptance rate was 19%, and the year before that 20%. Cornell is considered to be a selective university and has become more selective in recent years. About 90% of entering freshmen at Cornell were in the top 10% of their high school graduating class. Their average SAT scores were 720 in Math and 700 in Verbal. All Cornell applicants are required to submit all SAT scores (not a common requirement among U.S. universities). Students at Cornell come from almost every state in the nation, and over 120 foreign countries. Nearly 30% of Cornell’s undergraduate class is composed of minorities– who are provided special admissions consideration.

Cornell’s graduate school has an acceptance rate right around 21%: its law school 20%; its veterinary medicine school 11%; its business school (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Full-time MBA program) 10%; and, its medical school (Weill Cornell Medical School) 4%.

Financial Aid

From its inception, Cornell has been dedicated to providing equal opportunity education for aspiring college students, regardless of financial status. Within ten years of its founding in 1865, Cornell began admitting both women and minorities, an uncommon practice for the time. It was also one of the first universities to provide students with financial assistance through student loan and work-study programs. As early as 1880 the school began offering need-based grants, and shortly thereafter scholarships.

In cooperation with other Ivy League institutions of the era, Cornell began to set standards for student financial aid policies, procedures and practices. In 2010, Cornell instituted a “matching” policy where it will match any financial aid incentives offered to any accepted applicant from any other top-notch school including Duke University, Stanford and MIT, if the student is trying to decide which institution to attend based on the financial aid package.

Recently, Cornell introduced a new financial aid policy, which replaces need-based student loans, for undergraduate students from families with incomes less than $75,000 a year, with scholarships that don’t have to be repaid. For students from families that make between $75-120k a year, need-based loans have been capped at $3,000 annually, and for families with incomes over $120,000, need-based loans are extended up to $7,500 a year. This new financial aid policy is costing Cornell an additional $14 million per year which is being financed by pulling funds from the university’s endowment and donations by wealthy donors. About 40% of Cornell’s entering freshman class qualify for need-based loans and scholarships. Currently, the average Cornell undergraduate student graduates with about $21,000 of debt.

International Education Offerings

As a higher education institution dedicated to international studies, Cornell offers its undergraduate students a comprehensive selection of programs with an international focus. These include majors and degrees in German Studies, French Studies, Jewish Studies, Latino Studies, African Studies, Romance Studies, Russian Literature, Near Eastern Studies and Far Eastern Studies. For more adventurous students, Cornell offers various study-abroad education programs at international locations throughout the world.

For students interested in pursuing a major in any of the Asian Studies (e.g., Southeast Asia, China and Asia-Pacific or South Asia) Cornell offers an excellent study-abroad program in Beijing, China through a cooperative agreement with Peking University. A similar agreement has been set up with Tsinghua University to exchange graduate students and faculty with Cornell’s College of Engineering, and another with Nanyang Technological University to exchange students with Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. Other exchanges have been established between Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and University of the Philippines-Los Banos and the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences in Japan. One more noteworthy association exists between Cornell and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Together these two institutions offer a joint course on international consulting.

Through the Weill Cornell Medical College campus in Qatar, Cornell focuses on training doctors to assist in medical efforts and administration of health care services throughout the region. In cooperation with Stanford University and the countries of Israel and Jordan, Cornell has developed a comprehensive database of the living organisms and systems that exist on the border between these two countries. Through a partnership with Canada’s Queen’s University, Cornell now offers an innovative, state-of-the-art Executive MBA program that provides both on-campus and online learning options.

Cornell University is a strong proponent of the United Nations and is one of several members of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) Association, which was developed for the sole purpose of aligning colleges, universities and research institutions with the United Nations.

Student Life at Cornell

While Cornell is well-known for its reputation as one of the top, academic undergraduate higher education institutions in the nation, it’s just as well known for its exceptional student life. Below we’ll address a few of the many facets (e.g. activities, housing, athletics, etc.) of student life at Cornell that sets the university apart from the competition.

Student Activities and Organizations

Cornell has approximately 900 official student organizations and clubs, which include everything from fencing to jousting to singing to competitive chess to politics to video gaming (and everything in-between). Cornell’s extensive selection of student run organizations and clubs are financed by student fees, membership fees, academic departments, the Graduate & Professional Student Assembly and the Student Assembly. Together these latter two groups have an annual budget of just over $3 million. In addition to student organizations, the Student Assembly and Graduate Assembly provide financial assistance to an on-campus student theater and concert commission.

Some of the more popular student organizations on campus include the International Affairs Society, the Cornell Catholic Community, the Big Red Marching Band and the Cornell University Glee Club. Each year Cornell’s International Affairs Society hosts a Model United Nations Conference on-campus for roughly 500 politically minded, high school students, and also sends over one hundred of its own students to Model United Nations conferences held at colleges and universities across the United States. The Cornell Catholic Community organization is the largest Catholic organization at the university. Another similar student organization is the Cornell United Religious Work group which pulls in students from varied and diverse religious backgrounds, faiths, denominations and traditions. One of Cornell’s most popular music groups is the Big Red Marching Band, which is by no means Cornell’s only music group. Cornell is home to what seems like a never-ending list of music groups and organizations, including; a classical music group, jazz music group, reggae music group, ethnic styles music group, and more. The Cornell University Glee Club, a sixty-member chorus of male singers, holds the record for being Cornell’s oldest student organization. Cornell is one of the few Ivy League universities to sponsor several secret honor societies (e.g., Quill and Dagger, Sphinx Head, etc.), some of which date back over 120 years. One of Cornell’s student groups, a think-tank, was established specifically to think of ways to improve life on campus for students.

General Information

Admission Office 410 Thurston Avenue Ithaca, NY 14850-2488 (607) 255-5241 Fax: (607) 255-0659 Contact: Jason Locke Director of Undergraduate Admissions

Main Address Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-2000 www.cornell.edu

Size Total undergrads: 13,846 First-time degree-seeking freshmen: 3,139 Degree-seeking undergrads: 13,772 Graduate enrollment: 5,497 Setting Rural setting Large town (10,000 – 49,999) Residential campus

Degrees offered: Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral First Professional

Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid

All Degrees and Programs

Program Completions for Most Recent Year	BA/BS	MA/MS	PhD	AA/AS	CERT
Total of All Education Programs	3965	1922	774	–	5
Agriculture	414	24	33	–	–
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	–	–	–	–	–
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	–	2	9	–	–
Agricultural Animal Breeding	–	–	–	–	–
Agricultural Business and Management	–	–	–	–	–
Agricultural Economics	241	9	3	–	–
Agronomy and Crop Science	–	2	4	–	–
Animal Sciences	125	4	2	–	–
Food Science	14	3	12	–	–
Horticultural Science	–	–	–	–	–
International Agriculture	11	–	–	–	–
Ornamental Horticulture	–	4	3	–	–
Plant Sciences	18	–	–	–	–
Viticulture and Enology	5	–	–	–	–
Architecture and Related Services	174	103	5	–	–
Architectural History and Criticism	–	3	1	–	–
Architecture	102	44	–	–	–
Architecture and Related Services, Other	–	–	–	–	–
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning	32	34	4	–	–
Environmental Design/Architecture	24	4	–	–	–
Landscape Architecture	16	18	–	–	–
Area, Gender, Cultural, Ethnic, and Group Studies	80	16	3	–	–
African-American/Black Studies	4	6	–	–	–
American/United States Studies/Civilization	20	–	–	–	–
Asian Studies/Civilization	34	5	–	–	–
East Asian Studies	–	–	–	–	–
Gay/Lesbian Studies	5	–	–	–	–
German Studies	2	5	2	–	–
Near and Middle Eastern Studies	15	–	1	–	–
Biology and Biomedical Sciences	469	8	87	–	–
Animal Genetics	–	1	10	–	–
Animal Physiology	–	–	3	–	–
Biochemistry	–	2	9	–	–
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other	106	–	–	–	–
Biology and Biological Sciences, General	342	–	–	–	–
Biometry/Biometrics	12	–	–	–	–
Biophysics	–	–	4	–	–
Botany/Plant Biology	–	–	8	–	–
Computational Biology	–	–	3	–	–
Ecology	–	1	9	–	–
Entomology	9	–	5	–	–
Environmental Toxicology	–	–	3	–	–
Evolutionary Biology	–	–	7	–	–
Immunology	–	–	3	–	–
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology	–	2	8	–	–
Molecular Biology	–	–	3	–	–
Neuroscience	–	–	7	–	–
Pharmacology	–	–	1	–	–
Plant Pathology/Phytopathology	–	2	4	–	–
Zoology/Animal Biology	–	–	–	–	–
Business, Administration, Management, Marketing, etc.	474	630	10	–	5
Business Administration and Management	–	473	5	–	–
Hotel/Motel Administration/Management	241	67	2	–	–
Labor and Industrial Relations	233	67	3	–	5
Real Estate	–	23	–	–	–
Communication and Journalism Programs	88	4	4	–	–
Speech Communication and Rhetoric	88	4	4	–	–
Computing and Information Sciences	127	103	21	–	–
Computer and Information Sciences	15	–	–	–	–
Computer Science	93	103	19	–	–
Information Technology	19	–	2	–	–
Education	1	22	3	–	–
Agricultural Teacher Education	1	–	–	–	–
Biology Teacher Education	–	3	–	–	–
Chemistry Teacher Education	–	–	–	–	–
Education	–	19	3	–	–
Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	–	–	–	–	–
Mathematics Teacher Education	–	–	–	–	–
Physics Teacher Education	–	–	–	–	–
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education	–	–	–	–	–
Engineering	671	520	105	–	–
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering	–	21	2	–	–
Agricultural Engineering	80	13	11	–	–
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	–	81	9	–	–
Chemical Engineering	85	35	17	–	–
Civil Engineering	65	48	5	–	–
Electrical and Electronics Engineering	100	106	25	–	–
Engineering Mechanics	–	1	2	–	–
Engineering Physics/Applied Physics	45	11	16	–	–
Engineering	24	–	–	–	–
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering	17	–	–	–	–
Materials Engineering	27	20	9	–	–
Mechanical Engineering	134	59	3	–	–
Nuclear Engineering	–	–	–	–	–
Operations Research	94	85	6	–	–
Systems Engineering	–	40	–	–	–
Engineering Technology	–	45	–	–	–
Engineering/Industrial Management	–	45	–	–	–
English Language, Composition and Literature/Letters	79	25	12	–	–
Creative Writing	–	8	–	–	–
English Language and Literature	79	17	12	–	–
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	82	23	27	–	–
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	9	–	5	–	–
Comparative Literature	10	5	7	–	–
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	–	2	4	–	–
French Language and Literature	19	–	–	–	–
German Language and Literature	2	–	–	–	–
Italian Language and Literature	9	–	–	–	–
Linguistics	9	2	6	–	–
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	–	14	5	–	–
Russian Language and Literature	4	–	–	–	–
Spanish Language and Literature	20	–	–	–	–
Health Services and Allied Health Sciences	–	17	98	–	–
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	–	17	–	–	–
Pre-medicine/Pre-medical Studies	–	–	–	–	–
Veterinary Medicine	–	–	87	–	–
Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sciences	–	–	11	–	–
History	83	9	5	–	–
History and Philosophy Of Science and Technology	–	–	–	–	–
History	83	9	5	–	–
Human Services	64	71	3	–	–
Community Organization and Advocacy	–	3	3	–	–
Public Administration	–	68	–	–	–
Public Policy Analysis	64	–	–	–	–
Legal and Law Studies	–	80	194	–	–
American/U.S. Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence	–	80	1	–	–
Law	–	–	193	–	–
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	26	–	–	–	–
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies	26	–	–	–	–
Mathematics and Statistics	71	52	19	–	–
Applied Mathematics	–	4	7	–	–
Mathematics	71	12	9	–	–
Statistics	–	36	3	–	–
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies	90	15	9	–	–
Historic Preservation and Conservation	–	8	–	–	–
Medieval and Renaissance Studies	–	3	3	–	–
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	31	–	–	–	–
Nutrition Sciences	55	–	6	–	–
Science, Technology and Society	4	4	–	–	–
Natural Resources and Conservation	57	8	5	–	–
Natural Resource Economics	–	–	–	–	–
Natural Resources/Conservation	57	8	5	–	–
Personal and Culinary Services	–	–	–	–	–
Institutional Food Workers	–	–	–	–	–
Physical Sciences	122	76	65	–	–
Astronomy	3	9	3	–	–
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology	18	1	1	–	–
Chemistry	54	25	31	–	–
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other	21	–	–	–	–
Geology and Earth Science	1	3	5	–	–
Physics	25	38	25	–	–
Psychology	84	1	6	–	–
Developmental and Child Psychology	–	–	2	–	–
Psychology	84	1	4	–	–
Social Sciences	466	50	48	–	–
Anthropology	19	12	7	–	–
Archaeology	8	–	–	–	–
Development Economics and International Development	–	7	–	–	–
Economics	236	12	21	–	–
Political Science and Government	141	12	12	–	–
Social Sciences, Other	–	–	3	–	–
Sociology	62	7	5	–	–
Visual and Performing Arts	115	14	12	–	–
Art History, Criticism and Conservation	15	1	2	–	–
Dance	4	–	–	–	–
Drama and Dramatics/Theater Arts	11	1	1	–	–
Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts	33	5	3	–	–
Film/Cinema/Video Studies	14	–	–	–	–
Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other	–	–	–	–	–
Fine/Studio Arts	28	3	–	–	–
Music Theory and Composition	–	–	–	–	–
Music	10	1	3	–	–
Musicology and Ethnomusicology	–	3	3	–	–
Work and Family Studies	128	6	–	–	–
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies	–	–	–	–	–
Housing and Human Environments	–	4	–	–	–
Human Development and Family Studies	128	2	–	–	–

Admissions Information

Application Fee College has an application fee: Yes Regular application fee: $70 Online application fee: $70

Enrollment Rates Average Percent applicants admitted: 21% Percent students who return sophomore year: 96%

Admissions Considerations Secondary school GPA: Required Secondary school rank: Recommended Secondary school record: Required Recommendations: Required Admission test scores (SAT/ACT): Required College-prep program completed: Recommended TOEFL: Required Undergraduate Admissions Fall 2011 Number of Applicants: 36,380 Percent Admitted: 18% Percented Admitted Who Enrolled: 51%

Test Scores: Fall 2011 SAT Critical Reading 630 (25th Percentile) 730 (75th Percentile) SAT Math 670 (25th Percentile) 770 (75th Percentile) ACT Composite 29 (25th Percentile) 33 (75th Percentile)

Enrollment Statistics

Undergraduate Attendance Status

Undergraduate Student Gender

Undergraduate Student Age

Undergraduate Student Residence

Graduate Attendance Status

Undergraduate Race/Ethnicity

Retention and Graduation Rates

Retention Rates for First-Time Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

Overall Graduation and Transfer-Out Rates for Students

Graduation Rates for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

6-Year Graduation Rate by Gender for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

6-Year Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity for Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees

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Undergraduate Majors

Agriculture & Related Sciences Agribusiness Operations B Agricultural Business B Agriculture – General B Agronomy/Crop Science B Animal Sciences B Food Science B Horticulture Science B Horticulture, Ornamental B International Agriculture B Pest Management B Plant Sciences B Architecture & Related Programs Architecture B City/Community/Regional Planning B Landscape Architecture B Area, Ethnic, Cultural, & Gender Studies African-American Studies B American Studies B Asian Studies B Gay/Lesbian Studies B German Studies B Near/Middle Eastern Studies B Russian/Slavic Area Studies B Women’s Studies B Arts, Visual & Performing Art History/Criticism/Conservation B Dance B Drama/Theater Arts B Fiber/Textile/Weaving Arts B Film Studies B Fine/Studio Arts B Music – General B Theater Design/Stagecraft B Biological & Biomedical Sciences Animal Genetics B Animal Physiology B Bacteriology B Biochemistry B Biology B Biometrics B Ecology B Entomology B Plant Pathology B Business, Management, & Marketing Hotel/Motel Management B Labor/Personnel Relations B Restaurant/Food Services Management B Communications & Journalism Communications/Rhetoric B Computer & Information Sciences Computer Science B Information Technology B Education Agricultural Education B Biology Teacher Education B Chemistry Teacher Education B Education – General B Family/Consumer Sciences – Education B Mathematics Education B Physics Teacher Education B Science Teacher Education B Engineering Agricultural Engineering B Chemical Engineering B Civil Engineering B Electrical/Communications Engineering B Engineering – General B Engineering Physics B Environmental Engineering B Materials Engineering B Mechanical Engineering B Operations Research B English Language & Literature English Language & Literature – General B Family & Consumer Sciences Consumer Economics B Family/Consumer Sciences – General B Foods/Nutrition Studies B Human Development/Family Studies B Foreign Language & Literature Classics B Comparative Literature B French B German B Italian B Linguistics B Russian B Spanish B Health Professions & Clinical Sciences Premedicine B History History – General B Liberal Arts & Sciences Liberal Arts & Sciences B Mathematics Mathematics – General B Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Neuroscience B Science, Technology & Society B Natural Resources & Conservation Natural Resource Economics B Natural Resources & Conservation – General B Philosophy & Religion Philosophy B Religion/Religious Studies B Physical Sciences Astronomy B Atmospheric Sciences B Chemistry B Geology B Physics B Psychology Psychology – General B Public Administration & Services Community Organization/Advocacy B Public Administration B Public Policy Analysis B Social Sciences Anthropology B Archaeology B Economics B Political Science/Government B Social Sciences – General B Sociology B

Degree levels for each major are designated by the following letters: A = Associate degree B = Bachelor’s degree C = Certificate or diploma

*We do not guarantee the accuracy of information on this page. All information is subject to change. You should confirm all information with a college admissions officer.